


Christmas Presents

by I_bleed_Jensenite



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Christmas Presents, Christmas Smut, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 19:07:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20120164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_bleed_Jensenite/pseuds/I_bleed_Jensenite
Summary: Sam, Dean and Cas are preparing for Christmas. Cas realises that Dean is not as excited about Christmas as he is and wants to make it better for him. Dean gradually comes to realise that chosing a gift is not easy when you're not certain about the depth of the feelings for the recipient. Cas worries about Dean's reaction to the gift he has chosen.





	Christmas Presents

**Christmas Presents**

Dean turned the calendar onto December. A shudder ran through him. It wasn’t that he hated Christmas, just that it didn’t excite him or bring back happy memories. Cas however was like an overexcited puppy. He’d never really experienced a family Christmas and he loved the thought of being with Dean and Sam at Jodie’s. Claire had text to invite him and told him that Donna would be there too.

Sam walked into the kitchen and prepped the coffee. “What’ya thinking about?” he asked.

“Just thinking,” Dean shrugged. “It’s nearly Christmas and I haven’t bought any presents yet. We’re at Jodie’s so I need to buy stuff this year.”

“Well,” Sam said, a smile forming on his face. “We could buy them together, unless you want to buy Cas something personal.”

“What, no, shut up, why would I do that?”

“Well, you do have a more profound bond.”

“I’ve already bought Dean’s,” Cas said, talking a sip of his coffee. “I saw something that reminded me of the green of his eyes, but I don’t mind joining together to buy the rest.”

Dean nearly choked on his coffee, as he thought about what Cas could have bought for him (and what he could buy in return) Sam looked at him with a smug look on his face.

He walked back to his bedroom and lay on the bed, staring into space. Dean tried to block out the thoughts in his head, about what Cas might have bought for him but he couldn’t shake them. He knew that Cas spent a lot of time staring into his eyes; he’d need to be blind to miss that. But did Cas want more than that? Dean realised that his feelings for Cas has changed recently. He no longer minded so much when Cas invaded his personal space and he missed him when Heaven called him back. _But it was nothing more – right – it was ok to miss your friend when they were gone and definitely didn’t make him gay. _

Dean felt a twitch in his jeans as he thought about Cas._ I can’t have these feelings about my friend. Cas could never feel like this about me. I don’t deserve him. I’m not getting a hard on over an angel. Angels are dicks._

He dug out ‘Busty Asian Beauties’ from under his mattress and slid his hand into his pants. Babes, boobs, anything. But the images all changed into a recurring one of piercing blue eyes and short dark hair. Damm, Caaasss, he thought as the cum ran down his fingers and onto the bed. He used his t-shirt to clean up. _Sooooo not gay. It’s just the comment Cas made. It’ll be fine. I am not in love with my best friend. Love – where did that thought come from?_

There was a knock on his door. Cas came in as Dean stuffed the t-shirt into his laundry bag. “Everything ok, you almost ran from the table when I mentioned a present. Did I do something wrong? Are friends not meant to buy each other gifts?”

_Friend, he called me his friend. There’s nothing more to it than that. Dean wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed._

Dean tapped the bed and Cas sat down next to Dean, staring straight into his eyes. He had that confused look on his face and tilted his head in his familiar way. Dean felt his dick twitch again, even though he had only just cum.

“No, it’s ok,” Dean said softly. It’s just that I don’t get excited about Christmas. Never really had any reason to. It was always just another day of finding something special to feed to Sam and trying to hustle enough money to buy him a gift. At least this year I get to send it with all my family. It won’t be so bad with you and Claire there too. A large family Christmas has got to be better than the shitty motels of our past.”

_Family, he called me family – twice. He can’t or doesn’t think of me as anything more than that._ Sadly, Cas flopped onto his bed and felt a knot tighten in his stomach. T_omorrow we will all shop for the remaining presents. I need to put my feelings aside and get on with being family. I can’t lose Dean as a friend too, that would be too cruel._

Cas tossed and turned all night. Although his angel grace meant that he did not need to sleep, it was a human custom that he had got used to. When he couldn’t sleep, he often went to watch Dean sleep (without him knowing of course – they had had several chats about how creepy it was to watch someone sleep). Watching the rise and fall of Dean’s chest and listening to the murmurs that he made in his sleep, calmed Cas and made him feel safe.

He padded across the corridor to Dean’s room and quietly entered. He sat in the empty chair that Dean had left for him many months before. Watching Dean tossing and turning in his sleep, he decided Dean must be dreaming and was tempted to peek into his dream but he knew that Dean was think that was creepy. He tried not to read Dean’s mind either but could feel a pull whenever Dean thought about him. These feelings had been more frequent lately and Cas had clung to the idea that maybe Dean’s feelings towards him were changing. Now he was not so sure.

As soon as day began to break, Cas flapped back to his own room. They would both be up soon and shopping would begin. Cas had been looking forward to it but now had an uncertain feeling. Nerves were not something he usually had to deal with.

He walked to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. Sam walked in and poured himself a cup. Cas took the chance to ask him a question. “Sam, why was Dean embarrassed when I said that I had bought him a present? Gabe said that this was a normal thing to do. Did I get something wrong?”

Sam set his cup down on the table and looked at Cas. He looked so fragile. “No, you did the right thing. Dean just isn’t used to people other than me doing nice things for him. He finds it hard to accept and even harder to talk about.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed that your brother keeps his emotions much more hidden than you. I find it hard to know what he’s thinking,” Cas replied.

“That’s just it,” Sam said. “Mostly, people don’t know what other people are thinking. They have to work it out from the tone of what they say or by reading their body language. Dean has had to keep things hidden for so long, to hold everything together for everyone else, that he is harder than most to figure out.”

“Human emotions are so hard,” Cas murmured.

They could hear Dean coming down the bunker corridor and Cas got up to make his coffee and pushed the cup towards him. Sam smiled. “Thanks Cas,” grunted Dean.

The journey to the Mall was about an hour. Sam sitting shotgun as usual, Cas in the back looking out of the window. When they arrived, Dean drove round for a while, looking for a space that the Impala would fit in and where it wouldn’t be scratched. He found the perfect spot.

Sam took control of the decision-making. “Ok, joint presents from all of us for Claire, Jody, Alex and Donna, back here for coffee and lunch and then personal shopping for each other – all good?”

Dean groaned but agreed, Cas was busy looking at the decorations in the Mall. “Let’s go.”

After 2 hours of looking round shops, they were weighed down with gifts, including extras in case Gabe dropped by. They ordered lunch; salad for Sam, burger with bacon with fries for Dean, Cas didn’t order but would share Dean’s fries. After lunch, they split up to do their own shopping. Dean took the gifts from the morning back to the car before starting his. In truth, he was delaying it as he was worried about what to buy for Cas. He wanted something that explained how much Cas meant to him but didn’t want to cross the boundary of friendship. He had no idea what to get for him.

Sam finished his shopping quickly. A DVD box set of Game of Thrones in a special box for Dean and a t-shirt and socks with bees on for Cas. He returned to the café and ordered coffee, sitting back to people watch whilst waiting. Cas came back next. He had found a couple of books that he thought would be good for Sam. They waited for Dean, discussing Christmas. Cas asked lots of questions about what was expected, what the routine was and what the celebrations involved. Sam told him about the Christmases they had shared with Bobby; about the traditions of sitting around the tree opening gifts together, making and sharing lunch together, snuggling on the sofa watching the afternoon movie or sleeping off lunch, snacks and then games together for the evening.

Finally, Dean returned. He had a colourful bag under his arm. For Sam, he had found a box set about Serial killers with a magazine about each killer. He had agonised over what to buy for Cas. The guy would be content with anything but Dean had tried to work out what would make him happy. He had almost given up when he had wandered into a pet shop. As well as cats, dogs and rabbits, they stoked a range of gift experiences, one of which was just perfect for Cas. He found a voucher for a weekend at a bee-keeping centre. As well as learning about looking after them, he would be given a beehive and some bees to get him started. Dean was really excited about the gift, he knew Cas would love it and he was looking forward to spending a weekend away with Cas, just the two of them. He had also walked out of the Mall to a garden centre and bought some packets of seeds for bee friendly plants. His heart lifted when he thought of spending more time with Cas, planting them. _He could casually offer to help Cas to make a bee-friendly space – couldn’t he?_

The drive back was calm and quiet, Dean glancing in his rear-view mirror, smiling gently to himself. Cas looked out of the window, looking up frequently to watch Dean, when he thought that Dean wasn’t looking. Sam watched the interaction between them and smiled, shaking his head at how stubborn they both were.

Dean kept thinking all the way home. _It didn’t mean anything that he wanted to see Cas happy, or that he wanted to be the one to make him happy. That didn’t make him gay – did it?_ He shook his head vigorously to get rid of the thoughts and tried to concentrate on his driving. When they reached the bunker, Dean parked her gently in the underground car park and they each went to their rooms to wrap and hide their gifts until they left for Jodie’s house. Dean wrapped Sam’s quickly and wrote the tag.

Then he picked up the gifts for Cas. They didn’t look like much. Thankfully, he had thought to buy a small box to put them, which also made the seeds easier to wrap. It still felt very light and Dean began to worry about what Cas would think when he picked it up. He finished wrapping, put the rubbish in his bedroom bin and headed towards the shower. He wanted to think of anything other than Cas, so that he could shower in peace but thoughts of Cas filled his mind.

_Cas kissing him when he found out about the bees, them showering the mud off together after working to create the garden, sharing a room at the bee sanctuary. Dean was in deep. This definitely wasn’t just friendship._

Cas sat in his room looking at the gifts for Sam and Dean. He started to wrap Sam’s but clearly lacked experience. His gifts did not look as nice as the ones he had seen in movies. He wanted them to be perfect, so he ripped the paper off and started again. He tried many times but each attempt fell short of his expectations with crinkles, curls, saggy corners, snagged sticky tape and bulges of excess paper. Finally, he has used all of his paper and his bin was overflowing with waste. He decided to see if Dean had any more.

He padded across the corridor to Dean’s room and knocked on the door. There was no response so Cas pushed the door open and went inside, thinking that he could find Dean’s wrapping paper and leave. He heard water running and realised that Dean must be in the shower. He was about to leave, after all Dean had told him about personal space, when he heard shouts coming from inside the bathroom. “Oh Cas, please, I need you to….” Before Dean finished the sentence, Cas had teleported himself onto the other side of the bathroom, a few inches from Dean’s face. He was fully clothed in the shower with Dean, holding a roll of wrapping paper.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said simply. “You called for me. I thought you were in danger.”

“And you going to gank the monster by hitting him with wrapping paper?”

“Why were you calling for me Dean? What did you need?”

“I … er… um….” Dean couldn’t think of anything to say. Cas was staring into his eyes, looking for answer to his question. _Please don’t look lower, please don’t look lower. _Dean was desperately trying to hide his raging hard on from Cas.

“Dean, why are you excited?” Cas asked simply. “I can see and feel your erection. Whilst I had experienced them myself, they have only happened when I have been sexually aroused by something.”

_ Oh God, he’s seen it. What now? Think, brain, think._

Cas suddenly realised what had happened. In his head, things suddenly made sense. Those looks, the small touches, small gestures – Dean liked him. “Dean, were you thinking of me, when this happened?”

“I … er… um….” _I’ve got nothing, I just don’t know what to say._ Dean’s heart was racing as his brain scrambled for a good excuse. They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like forever but was, in reality, about a minute.

_Here goes nothing_, thought Dean as he leaned forward and gave a startled Cas a gentle kiss on the lips. Cas carried on staring at him. _Son of a bitch, I’ve ruined everything._ But then, Cas dropped the roll of wrapping paper that he was still holding, curling his arm around Dean and pulling him closer before planting a deeper kiss on Dean.

“Cas…I….” Dean tried to speak but found this difficult, with Cas’ lips attached to his. Dean took CAS by the hand and led him out of the shower cubicle and into his bedroom.

Soon they were pulling and tugging at each other’s clothing; licking, sucking and kissing any available skin. As Cas was about the remove Dean’s pants, a question formed in his mind. _Is this really what you want, Dean?_ He didn’t realise that he had actually said the words aloud. Dean stopped dead in his tracks, sat up on the bed and took Cas’ hands in his. His thumb gently stroked the back of Cas’ hand, as he gulped down every last doubt and took a deep breath.

“Cas, yes this is what I want. What I have wanted for a long time. I’ve been stubborn and refused to see what was in front of me. I can’t believe that an angel as special as you would want someone like me. But yes, this is what I want. I hid it, because it didn’t fit with my own picture of me but the desire for you has grown steadily stronger and yes, I want it. If you don’t want me, I can work with that too. It will hurt but I will still crave your friendship. I love being with you, even when we are doing nothing special, even when you want to go looking for bees, or photographing flowers, or on the sofa watching a chick-flick….” Dean was rambling on and on and repeating, over and over again, that this was what he wanted. Cas took matters into his own hands.

“Dean, less talking, more kissing. I just wanted to be sure.”

Dean took this as an invitation and lay back down on the bed, dragging Cas on top of him. He wrapped his fingers into the hair at the back of Cas’ head and pulled him in deeply. Breathing heavily, he blew across Cas’ ear and sucked at his neck, just below his jaw. The whine from Cas was music to his ears. He slid his hands down Cas’ back and slid then round, tickling gently, just above his crotch. Cas squealed and begged Dean to continue. Cas slid his legs further apart to encourage Dean to touch him but Dean resisted for as long as he could, playing with every inch of skin around Cas’ aching cock, but never touching it. “Deeee….” Cas croaked. “Enough already, fuck me please.”

“Just a little bit longer,” Dean replied. “I want to take you apart completely, first. I've wanted this for so long. I don't intend to rush.”

With that, Dean rubbed around Cas’ hole and squeezed his ass cheeks, hard. “Ow, oooh,” Cas groaned. Just when he thought that he couldn’t take any more pleasure, Dean leaned forward and sucked gently on his balls. “Dean, I’m gonna cum,” Cas shouted hoarsely. Dean stopped what he was doing and pressed at the base of Cas’ cock, holding it firmly until the feeling reduced. “Not yet,” Dean said smiling. Dean flipped him over and grabbed the lube from the nightstand, coating his finger and slipping it inside Cas firmly. He pushed and stroked inside Cas until he felt a sudden movement. At that moment, he knew he was hitting Cas’ prostate. He slid another finger in, began scissoring, and stretching Cas, ready for that moment when he would finally feel himself inside his angel. He wanted it to be special and pain-free for Cas, so was prepared to spend time preparing him thoroughly. Finally, he was sure that Cas was ready for him, so he poured more lube onto his fingers and coated his own, now heavy leaking cock. As he pushed in and bottomed out, he rested, allowing Cas to adjust to him. Dean closed his eyes and thanked God for this moment._ I’m actually inside Cas. This is really happening._

Cas whined and tried to encourage Dean to move by bucking his hips. When Dean moved slowly, Cas pleaded with him to go faster. Cas grabbed Dean around d the waist and pulled him down, hard, to encourage him fuck him harder. Dean got the hint and began to set a vigorous pace. The delicious sounds coming from Cas brought Dean close to orgasm but just as he was about the shoot his load into Cas, thick white ropes landed on his chest. “Oh, Oh, Oh,” Cam whimpered as he shook through wave after wave of sensations. He leaned forward and kissed Dean firmly, grabbing his cock in his hand and stroking Dean through his orgasm. Dean came hard and collapsed on the now sticky, wet sheets. “Wow, that was amazing. I still can’t believe it really happened.”

“I don’t have anything to compare it to, Dean,” Cas said, “but I definitely enjoyed it and want to do it again and again"

“We need to clean up and rest first,” Dean replied. “You may be an angel but humans need sleep.” Cas snapped his fingers and the bed was re-dressed with clean sheets. Dean also felt clean and noticed that the dried cum had disappeared from his chest. “Cool trick, Cas, but now I don’t get to shower with you.”

“We can do that when you wake up,” Cas said, snuggling down into the bed with Dean and hugging him until he dropped to sleep. Cas spent the time that Dean was sleeping, watching him breathing and running his finger gently over Dean’s freckles.

A little while later, there was a knock on the door. Cas padded quietly to the door and opened it gently, to see Sam standing there. “Sssshhh Sam, Dean’s sleeping,” Cas said to Sam, stepping aside so that Sam could see him.

“Why are you here, if Dean’s asleep? He's explained to you about watching him sleep” Sam commented.

“I’m waiting for him to wake so that we can have intercourse again and take a shower together, Cas replied simply.

“Wait, what? Again? Why? When did this happen?”

“Dean has been asleep for about an hour. Apparently, it exhausted him.”

“Eeeewwww,” Sam said, “I did not need to think about that. So what, you guys together now?”

“It’s very new Sam, but yes, I hope so. We’ll talk more when Dean wakes up. I’m sure he’ll tell you himself later.”

“I came to ask if you wanted lunch but I guess you are busy eating each other,” Sam laughed.

“No, neither of us has eaten,” Cas replied innocently.

“It’s OK Cas, just a joke. Go back to guarding Dean. I’ll see you both later.”

Sam walked back to the kitchen and grabbed the phone to call Charlie. A few hours later, Dean and Cas emerged from Dean’s room and headed towards the kitchen. Sam smiled, delighted that they were finally able to admit how they felt.

“Looks like you guys have had your Christmas early,” Sam said.

“No Sam, Christmas is still December 25th. Dean will have to wait for his present.” Dean laughed and whispered something into Cas’ ear.

“Oh,” exclaimed Cas. “Sorry, Sam, Dean has just explained what you meant.”

Over the next three weeks, Dean and Cas spent time getting used to being a couple, spending more time together and moving Cas’ meagre possessions from his room into their room. Sam got used to seeing them locking lips and holding hands, making up for lost time. He also learned to knock before going into their room. Seeing Cas naked once and wrapped around his brother, was an experienced that couldn’t be forgotten and definitely shouldn’t be repeated.

They had spoken to Jodie and Claire via skype, eliciting a “finally” from Jodie, and, “Does that make you Daddy Dean now?” from Claire. Both of them said that they were happy with the news and would try not to tease them too much over the holiday. They also prepared the spare room with a chair as well as a bigger bed, so that when Dean needed to sleep, Cas could be comfortable.

Finally, it was December 23rd and they were driving to Sioux Falls. When they arrived, Cas looked nervous. Dean rubbed his back. “Hey babe, it’s fine. Claire knows already and she’s cool with it.”

“I know and I want to see her, but it feels strange.”

“I’ll go and talk to Jodie, you go and talk to Claire,” Dean suggested. “Are you sure? I thought you would want us to talk to people together.”

“Angel, we have all of our lives together, a few more minutes won’t matter.”

With that, they gave each other a quick kiss and Dean headed to the kitchen to find Jodie. Cas wandered into the lounge where Claire was watching TV. Dean explained to Jodie, that he wanted them to take it slowly and build a lasting relationship with Cas. He started to explain to Jodie how he thought that Cas was the one, but that it was early days. She stopped him in his tracks.

“Dean, we have all known for years how you feel about one another. We have just been waiting for you to know it too. I’ve never seen you look at anyone, the way you look at Cas and he would do anything for you.”

Dean blushed. In the lounge however, Cas was having a very different conversation with Claire.

“I want to ask him to marry me,” he explained.

“Oh WOW, that’s big news,” Claire replied.

“Are you ok with this? Is it too soon? What do you think he will say?” Cas blurted out, looking shy and nervous, and shifting from foot to foot.

“Ok, breathe calmly. I’m fine with it, so long as I get to be a part of the wedding and don’t have to wear a soppy dress. Everyone who knows you expected this long ago. Dean loves you and you’re different around him; softer, more confident. Surely, you’ve seen the way he looks at you? When are you going to ask? Do you have a ring?”

“I have the ring that I bought him for Christmas. I spoke to Gabriel about my feelings for Dean and he helped me choose this one. He said that if Dean loved me, he would understand its significance. I can picture Dean wearing it.”

“Show me,” was Claire’s response.

“Cas pulled the badly wrapped box from his pocket and passed it to Claire. She looked at it and laughed, “well, I’ll re-wrap it for you, once I’ve done.” Claire opened the box and looked at the ring, a white gold band with piercing green emeralds around it. “Oh Cas, it’s perfect. … But if you hadn’t got together, it would have been a little creepy. This is definitely meant for a proposal; he’ll love it.”

“You really think it’s the right thing to do.”

“Yes, go for it. He loves you, even if he hasn’t said so yet.”

In the kitchen, Dean was talking to Jodie. “It just happened. I’d gradually realised how much he meant to me. I’m still not sure about the whole gay scene but I realised that how I feel about Cas is more important than my fears.

” “Took your time about it.” Jodie laughed.“Claire, Bobby and I thought you would have got together ages ago.”

“Yeah, well I’ve realised now, that he’s the one.”

“Oh wow, that’s big. Dean Winchester has been tamed, and by an angel no less.”

“Shut up,” Dean replied, blushing deep crimson and rubbing back of his neck. “Anyway, I guess we have wasted so much time that I don’t want to waste any more. I’m going to ask him to marry me. I don’t how the whole angel/human thing would work but I figured at least I’d know how he felt.”

“Dean, he loves you. Look at how his face lights up, when you so much as enter a room. I wished someone looked at me, the way he looks at you. When are you going to ask him?”

“I thought New Year’s. I haven’t bought a ring yet but was gonna ask Sammy to go with me after Christmas to look for one.”

“Ok, talk to Claire first. She’s fine with Cas but I want her to hear it from you, not have it sprung on her.”

“OK,” came the reply. “Let’s get through Christmas and them I’ll talk to her.”

Sam came in and helped to set the table for lunch. They all gathered around, laughing and chatting about the past year. Through the noise and the chatter, Dean and Cas didn’t take their eyes from one another. Sam nudged Jodie and they both smiled. Dean finally broke eye contact and looked around. Except for Bobby, his whole world was here, and he couldn’t be happier. After lunch, they all grabbed a beer and headed for the sofa. Sam laid out on one, Jodie and Claire on the other, Dean in an armchair, with Cas sat on the arm, leaning onto him. ‘Miracle on 42nd Street’ played in the background. Sam laughed as he looked over to see Dean running his fingers through Cas’ hair and Cas rubbing Dean’s hand with his thumb.

The film ended and Jodie stood up and stretched. “I’m going to bed boys, busy day tomorrow.”

Claire stood up too. “I’m heading up too. Night Cas, night all.”

Sam stretched out. “I guess that’s my cue for bed too. Keep the noise down you two and don’t break the bed.”

Dean looked at Cas, flicked off the TV and stood up. “Come on sunshine, bedtime.” Cas loved the little pet names that Dean used and took his hand as Dean led him up the stairs to their new room. Usually, when Dean stayed at Jodie’s, he spent the time just standing in the corner waiting. Dean had told him it was creepy, but he liked to watch over Dean. Now however, he got to spend his time, in bed with Dean. He loved counting Dean’s freckles as he slept, watching his chest rise and fall, listening to the little noises he made in his sleep and loved the cuddle he got when Dean started to wake and saw him. Hell, he just loved Dean and was more certain than ever about his course of actions.

Dean woke to sunlight streaming in through the window and pulled Cas tighter towards him. These moments were everything to him. Sure, the sex was great but this was real. Cas really cared about him. As they kissed, Dean could feel Cas’ breath on his neck and let out a small moan. “Later,” Cas whispered. “I’ve promised Claire that we would go tree shopping this morning and the help her decorate it, when we get it back.”

“Just a few more minutes,” Dean signed and pulled Cas tighter. Cas wriggled, “Shower and coffee, come on.”

Dean padded down the corridor towards the shower, as Cas headed downstairs to put coffee on and started to make breakfast. Dean, showered and in clean clothes, came down, wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist and snuggled into neck.

“Love you, babe” he said. Cas dropped the coffee pot that he was holding.

“You, you really love me?” Cas asked.

“Of course,” Dean replied. “Thought you knew.”

“I did think it, but you hadn’t said it, until now. I was just surprised. After everything that has happened between us, I hoped but didn’t hear it, so was prepared to wait. Then Claire told me that she was sure you loved me, so I started to hope again.”

“Claire told you?” “Yes, when she spoke yesterday. She said that it was obvious that we were meant to be together and she had never seen anyone so in love.”

“Full marks to the kid then. Let’s finish breakfast and go get this tree.”

As he spoke, he kissed Cas hard, and Claire came into the Kitchen.

“Eeewwww, I don’t mind you to being together but not in my face,” she said with a smile. “Now, which one of you is making breakfast?”

They passed a pleasant day with Claire, choosing and decorating a tree. Sam went to put the angel on top but Cas complained about it being a stereotypical view of angels and that angels didn’t really sit around all day. He looked so upset that Sam stopped and found a star for the top of the tree instead. Cas looked happier.

After dinner, Bobby arrived with arms full of gifts. Dean opened his mouth to speak, but only got as far as, “Bobby, can we talk?” Bobby cut him off and let him know that Jodie had told him most of it on the phone and that Sam had filled in the rest.

“Damm it, boy. If you had been 6 weeks earlier, I’d have won.”

“Won, what?”

“The bet we’ve been having since he gripped you tight and raised you from perdition. It was obvious he loved you, we were betting on when you would admit that you loved him too. Glad you finally got you head out of your ass, boy,”

Dean hugged Bobby. “Thanks,” was all he said as Sam passed them both a beer.

The evening passed with a game of cards; Cas sitting next to Dean and watching because gambling wasn’t something that he was totally comfortable with. Claire went to bed first, then Jodie, leaving the four of them. Sam turned over four kings and scooped the cash. ”I win, and now I’m going to bed. See you all in the morning.”

Cas and Dean watched Game of Thrones before deciding to go to bed. All the time they were watching, they were touching, kissing and holding one another. They had promised each other that no sex would happen while they were at Jodie’s house, as they knew how noisy they were and how small the house was. They didn’t want to give anyone nightmares or cause any awkward feelings. Deciding this though, was far away from being able to do it. They were struggling to keep their hands off of each other or to find time when they could be intimate together. They headed to bed and took a leisurely shower together, taking time to soap each other off and exchange intimate, lingering kisses. They finally collapsed into bed.

Dean couldn’t sleep. He was thinking about tomorrow being Christmas and the look of joy that he would see on Cas’ face. He realised that he had never looked forward to Christmas as much as he was looking forward to tomorrow. Eventually, he drifted off with a smile on his face. Cas, by comparison, was worried about tomorrow. Thoughts were racing through his mind. _What if Dean didn’t want to marry him? What if he hated the ring? What if he embarrassed him? Should he ask him in front of the family or in private?_ He decided to speak to Claire, as soon as he got up. He calmed his nerves and anxiety by leaning over and stoking Dean’s face, which made Dean’s eyelids flutter. Cas realised how much in love he was.

Christmas morning started early. Dean started making a stack of pancakes and Cas was busy scrambling eggs. Sam was on coffee duty and Claire was setting the table. Jodie came in, followed closely by Bobby. Once they were all seated, the food was brought to the table and everyone helped themselves. After breakfast, they moved towards the sofas, to settle near the tree. Cas tried to pull Claire aside to have a private chat but Sam scooped her up and carried her towards the tree. Cas realised that he just had to go for it and ask him, in front of everyone, and deal with it, if he said no.

After lots of “Oohs,” “Oh that’s lovely,” and “thanks,” from everyone for the things that had received it was finally time for Dean to give his gift to Cas. He passed a small, very light box to Cas. “It doesn’t feel like much,” Dean started to say, “but hopefully it will mean that we get to spend plenty of time together and it should last forever. I hope you like it.” Cas carefully pulled at the ribbon that Claire had added to pretty up the box. He unwrapped it and looked inside. He found the voucher for the bee experience and then the seeds. He turned each packet over and read the instructions carefully, while everyone waited for a reaction. A massive smile spread across his face and his eyes sparkled more than the lights on the Christmas tree. Then, tears began to fall.

“What’s wrong?” Dean asked gently. “Did I get it wrong?”

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” Cas replied, “it’s prefect. Bees are gorgeous, just like you and I get to share my love of bees with the person I love. Only one thing could make today better.”

“What?” Dean asked.

Claire squeezed Cas’ hand and passed over the small box. Cas fell to his knees and looked up at Dean, sitting cross-legged on the sofa. He passed the now beautifully wrapped gift to Dean and waited for him to open it, before saying, “I want to ask you to take this as our engagement ring, Dean,” he said choking back tears and straining to get the words out. “I love you and want you to marry me. I checked with Claire and she gave us her blessing. Now, I need you to say yes.”

“You knew,” Dean asked, looking at Claire, choking back his own tears. He fumbled with the box and opened it, to see the beautiful green of the emeralds, set in a shimmering, white gold band.

“When I looked at it, I pictured you wearing it,” Cas said, “it seemed the perfect thing to show off the colour of your eyes. I had spent many hours researching what would be a suitable Christmas gift. Jewellery seemed to come up in many of my searches, so I went looking for something special. I …”

“Cas, stop talking….The answer is yes.”

“Yes,” Cas repeated.

“Yes, I want to marry you,” Dean confirmed. “It’s still early days for us but we’ve wasted so much time already. I don’t want to waste anymore.”

Sam came up with a bottle of Champagne, and a tray full of mismatched glasses and mugs. Everyone had a drink in their hands as Sam proposed a toast to the happy couple. Cas and Dean had not taken their eyes off of one another and had barely let go of each other’s hand.

The rest of the day carried on in this pleasant manner, Dean shuffling his seat closer to Cas at the dinner table and then trying to tempt Cas to at least taste the food.

“I don’t need food, Dean,” he insisted but Dean carried on loaded up a fork and feeding it to him, until he had at least tasted a bit of everything. Cas waited until everyone was busy eating before slipping his hand under the table, and squeezing Dean gently on the thigh. Sam saw it but chose to say nothing, smiling knowingly at Claire, who made a gesture of being sick, before smiling back.

After dinner, Dean washed the dishes and Cas dried. It was a slow process as they stopped for a kiss between each plate. “Eeeewww, is it always going to be like this?” Claire asked.

“I hope so,” Cas relied, a huge grin spreading across his face.

“Wait until you fall in love,” Dean followed up, flicking soapy water at her.

Eventually everyone settled on the sofas and started watching the movie. Cas curled up on the floor between Dean’s legs, while Dean wound his fingers through Cas’ hair. When the movie finished, people moved to their bedrooms or to other spaces, leaving Dean and Cas alone.

“Thank you, Cas,” came a sentence from Dean’s lip, so gentle that he wasn’t sure that Cas had heard him.

“What for?” Cas replied, kissing him gently.

“Making my Christmas better than all the previous Christmases put together. This Christmas has been the best ever and it’s all because of you.”

“Here’s to December becoming your favourite month,” Cas replied. “How do you feel about a Winter Wedding, next December?”

“Great idea,” replied Dean, “I’ll get Sammy and Jody to start planning. Christmas is going to be even bigger next year.”

**Author's Note:**

> Still new to posting and trying to get the formatting as I want it. I love to hear your comments but please be kind and remember that these fictions are written for fun.


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